NJ aims for Health Insurance for everyone by 2011?

"This is an idea whose time has come as more New Jersey families are struggling with the high cost of health care and more state residents than ever before worry that they may be one serious illness away from bankruptcy" - Sen Joseph Vitale

The numbers are staggering. 1.4 million people in this state lack any health insurance and even with health insurance you may not have enough coverage. I think this is a great idea, however I have seen and attempted to use state medicaid since being diagnosed and found it extremely frustrating and next to impossible to use.

If this plan just expands on medicaid it's doomed. Not enough doctors participate and the ones that do opt out before you can actually make an appointment.

What's more this plan states they will not be able to stop employers from dropping health coverage once the state plan is in effect.

It needs a lot of work.

In regards to just cancer care, the cost is going up and I saw an article online this week about Oncologists addressing treatment costs with patients prior to treatment. Giving patients what would be pricing guidelines with various options like a cable TV bundle seems to me like an ass backwards plan.

If given the basic care option of $30,000.00 for "x" amount of treatments with "x" type of side effects gets you these odds...

However if you upgrade to the next level at $60,000.00 for "x" treatments and "x" side effects provides you with these odds...

And finally the Premium package for $150,000.00 gets you this treatment schedule and only these side effects and almost certainly locks you into remission by the end of the month!

Choosing a treatment option to save my life like I might choose how many TV channels I want seems absolutely absurd to me. The article stated that cheaper options mean you will look sick and will lose your hair and will not be able to hide your disease from co-workers. But the pricier options may have fewer side effects and may not impact your life as drastically.

My 6 months of chemo totalled $104,000.00 with the most expensive part being the white blood cell booster I got after each treatment. That shot of Neulasta cost $5500.00 a shot. I had chemo every two weeks and the very next day following treatment meant I got shot of Neulasta in the arm.

ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS for two shots in the arm...per month.

Did you know $72.1 billion was spent on cancer treatments in 2004?

I understand the technology to create newer, better drugs is a necessary evil but it's sadly a life shattering realization when you accept the fact that your life will never be the same because of a disease like cancer and the need to make better drugs means a larger pass on cost to the "consumer."

Everything changes and the financial damage in our lives is still working itself out.

The insurance system in this country is severely damaged and I can't see any way it will ever be corrected. I don't think it's possible. I unfortunately can relate to how fast one disease can ruin your life and change the landscape of your hopes and dreams.

Like I said everything changes.

Weighing costs for treatments and therapies is like choosing which child to keep. How do you put a price on the health of a family member?

"Sorry grandma we can only afford the basic option and that means your chemo and radiation is most certainly going to make you sick and has 13 pages of known side effects and there is a 40% chance it will beat the cancer but if I get a raise next year we can refinance the house and maybe we can swing for the next level up and get you a 65% chance the drugs will beat the cancer...but then we won't be able to go on vacation for the next 10 years...but hang in there"

The article states we need to treat cost as another side effect of treatment and to consider cost as a very real element to dealing with a cancer diagnosis. It has to be addressed but what is someone supposed to do when given the choice of taking the $5500.00 shot to boost your white blood cells or risk infection and postpone treatment because of complications from the disease which in the long run lowers your ability to fight the disease altogether?

You opt for the $5500.00 shot.

I wasn't given such options, I was told what the best treatment was that would work. And maybe that's because my insurance at that point was Aetna and they allowed for better options and we didn't have to discuss how it was going to be covered.

I don't know.

I do know when you are diagnosed you don't need any more stress in your life than the diagnosis itself. But life is what it is and stress is the heartbeat of life.

Life = Stress

Stress = Life


...and Cancer sucks.